Ever since Alex had unlocked his Bloodline power—although it was only a small percentage of its full potential—the strength it granted him was far too overwhelming.
Because of this, he had always been cautious with how he used it. He hadn't fully understood how it worked, nor how much stronger it might become as time went on.
For that reason, Alex had been hesitant. But right now, hesitation was a luxury he could no longer afford.
If he failed to act, Eddie would finish him here and now.
So, Alex had no choice but to unleash it.
[Bloodline Activated]
[Your injuries have been healed by 30%]
A surge of power coursed through his veins, burning like fire but soothing like water. It wasn't much—not nearly enough to make him invincible—but it was enough to dull the edge of his wounds and give him a moment of breathing room, a fleeting glimpse of freedom.
He didn't waste time marveling at the change. Instinct kicked in. Alex rolled to the side just as a stone, flung with bullet-like speed, shattered the spot where he had been lying only seconds before.
Eddie had missed his target, but he still had plenty of stones at hand. One after another, they were launched, each one tearing through the air like a cannon shot, aimed straight at Alex.
Alex, meanwhile, pulled out his qi gun, weaving from side to side as he ran, trying to stay ahead of Eddie's relentless barrage.
"You can't run faster than a bullet!" Eddie roared. In the next instant, he clenched another stone tight and hurled it forward with brutal force.
It ripped through the air, closing the distance in a heartbeat. But midway, Alex twisted sharply, bringing up his gun.
Bang!
He fired a qi bullet. The two projectiles met in the center of the throne room with a sharp crack. The stone shattered instantly, fragments scattering across the golden floor, while Alex's qi round tore through, grazing Eddie's shoulder.
"Arhh!" Eddie cried out, staggering from the burn of the hit.
Alex seized the chance, unloading a burst of qi bullets toward him. But Eddie was quick—his body dove low, rolling across the polished floor until he pressed himself behind one of the towering pillars that held the room.
For a moment, silence. Hidden in cover, Eddie gritted his teeth and glanced at his shoulder. A deep graze marked his flesh, blood running slowly over the lines of his arm.
'This bullet is different... It bypassed my robe defense and it still hurt me this much. What was he using? What is this gun?' Eddie thought, frowning in confusion.
Eddie's Asian-looking robe was special; it had a bullet-resistant trait built into the weave. Even when Alex's axe had cut through it, Eddie had assumed that the weapon's beast nature was the reason. He had no real knowledge of qi guns, and the earlier bullets had done little more than wound him.
This time, though, everything felt different. Alex had his Bloodline active, and whatever effect that power lent to his qi bullets had changed them into something far more dangerous.
'Fuck it... I think "killing you" will now be too soft a punishment. I'm going to skin you alive!' Eddie thought, anger coiling through him.
He grabbed a chunk of concrete, larger than the stones he had been hurling before, and hefted it in his hands.
Peeking out from behind his pillar, Eddie saw Alex taking cover beside another pillar; Alex did not yet know the bullet had grazed him.
Bang!
Eddie launched the rock. It sped through the air, aimed straight for the pillar where Alex hid.
'Shit... I need to end this...' Alex thought as the rock slammed into the pillar, the impact shaking through him.
Eddie took the chance to scoop up more stones and began hurling them one after another. Each strike chipped away at the pillar, sending shards of dust and concrete scattering across the throne room floor.
Meanwhile, Alex crouched behind the crumbling cover, his mind racing.
'My axe won't help now... I'm not in the condition to use it. I can't risk the astral body either... That leaves me with only one choice,' Alex decided.
[Storage Unit]
With a flash, Alex summoned the Pendragon system interface before him, his hands trembling as he sifted through it.
"Come on... someone must have left something in the public storage," Alex muttered under his breath.
And then—finally—he saw it.
But Eddie hadn't slowed down. Rock after rock smashed into the pillar. Some shattered instantly, but others tore chunks away. Dust filled the air, and cracks spidered through the stone.
Until at last... the pillar gave way.
Boom!
The pillar's center exploded, stone crumbling down in a shower of dust and fragments.
Eddie already had another rock in hand, arm cocked back to hurl it—until his eyes locked on Alex.
There Alex stood, no longer crouching, but fully revealed. In his hands was a strange, round object. From one end jutted a short barrel, glowing from within with a fierce yellow light that burned like fire.
It was a qi cannon.
This was what Alex had been searching for in the Pendragon storage. Just as he'd been told, the faction often charged these cannons with qi beforehand and stored them in the public space, ready for emergencies. Today, Alex couldn't be more thankful for that rule.
Eddie's eyes widened, but his hesitation lasted only a heartbeat. He whipped his stone forward at the same moment Alex triggered the cannon.
A searing yellow sphere burst from the barrel, racing across the room like a miniature sun. Eddie's stone shot out too, both projectiles colliding in the middle of the throne room.
Alex was blown back by the recoil of the cannon, sent skidding across the ground even before the qi ball and the stone could meet.
When they finally clashed, a blinding light tore through the throne room. The entire hall shook violently.
Pillars cracked and nearly split apart, Eddie was thrown across the room, and a large section of the throne chamber caved in as clouds of dust swallowed everything in sight.
Coughing through the haze, Alex struggled against the ache in his body, forcing himself upright. His vision swam for a moment before clearing, and what he saw left him speechless.
The once-pristine throne room was in ruins. The golden glow had dimmed to shadows, half the light sources shattered in the collapse.
Splintered stone and broken marble scattered across the floor like the remains of a battlefield.
Alex's eyes swept the wreckage. It didn't take long to find Eddie. He was half-buried under broken rubble, struggling to crawl free.
Though the collapse hadn't crushed him outright, he looked far from unscathed—dust coated his body, his once-proud robe hung in tatters, barely covering him, and blood streamed steadily from a gash on his forehead.
Click.
With a snap of his fingers, Alex summoned the axe back to his hand. The weapon landed firmly in his grip.
Slowly, step by step, he began to advance.
Eddie, noticing the approach, planted a trembling hand on the ground and tried to rise, defiance burning in his eyes even as his body threatened to give out.
But before Eddie could fully rise, Alex dashed forward. With a swift slashing kick, he knocked Eddie off his feet. In the same fluid motion, Alex drove the axe down and planted its blade on Eddie's chest, letting the weapon rest there like a cold verdict.
"Hahaha... boy... you think this is over?" Eddie laughed, coughing as he stared up at Alex.
He pushed at the axe with both hands, trying to shove it away, then tried to lift his body—and found he could not. The blade would not budge.
Eddie lay there, stunned and furious.
"What...kind...of weapon is this? What...faction or clan do you belong to? How...did you get your hands on such a thing?!" he shouted, voice ragged with pain.
Alex inhaled slowly and looked down at him.
"It's unfortunate. If you walk away from here alive, you'll go and tell them what you saw today. They'll come after me even though I have done them no wrong," he said quietly. "Which is why you have to die."
"Idiot... Do you really think killing me will stop them from finding out?" Eddie spat, eyes burning with hatred.
Alex gave a small, smug smile as he looked down at Eddie.
Immediately, Alex snapped his fingers and the axe flew back into his hand. Eddie's body jolted forward, freed at last after straining against the weapon for so long.
But before he could even take a breath, Alex swung. The axe cut clean through Eddie's chest.
Blood gushed from his mouth as his vision dimmed, the world collapsing into darkness.
[Death has absorbed the life force of a Stage 3 Paragon]
"You lying bastard," Alex scoffed. "You said you were at Stage 4."